School district poised to sell some land

Published: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at 12:09 a.m.

MANATEE COUNTY - The School Board will temporarily forgo plans to enlist a broker to sell district-owned property that could provide critical revenue for a district saddled with spending fines handed down by state auditors last month.

And they are poised to move forward in February with property sales that would make up an additional $4 million needed to balance the budget after other costs were realized by school officials in the fall.

Blackrock Development Holdings has offered the school district $1.85 million for a State Road 70 parcel that is valued at $1.78 million. But the company will pay the district $2.7 million if they also sell part of a Bayshore High School parcel at the corner of 53rd Avenue West and 34th Street West.

Combined with the $1.4 million Checkers-Owens Annex property sale — land sold next to the district administration building in a deal with Route 32 Investments that closed today — the larger offer would help the district exceed its $4 million shortfall.

“It comes down to timing, exposure, getting the best price and making sure we meet our commitment to the state in meeting our budget,” Board Chair Julie Aranibar said before the board gave school officials the okay to approve the Bayshore parcel for sale and move forward with the $2.7 million offer at a February meeting.

The only other pending offer for the State Road 70 parcel is a $1.3 million bid from Del Lago Ventures. But the company only wants to purchase 2.4 acres of 10 acres cleared for sale at the intersection of State Road 70 and Caruso Road.

Construction Services Director Jane Dreger said the board’s decision is a smart one, as the Bayshore High School parcel would likely need to go through lengthy rezoning processes that might turn off other buyers.

And Blackrock Development Holdings has agreed to close both of their offers within 90 days, which means that the sale could go through by late May, ahead of the end of the fiscal year.

Deputy Superintendent Don Hall reminded board members that subsidizing $4 million of costs before the end of the year is necessary for the district’s financial stability.

The costs, announced in October after the year’s budget had been approved, included a need for more staff, including aides for special needs children that are required by law and more teachers for oversized VPK classes.

The district had also failed to budget for the salaries of teachers displaced by the closing of Central High School.

The $4 million shortfall isn’t the only expense the district will have to address before July.

The school system here is being closely monitored by the state as it cleans up systematic financial errors that could potentially cost the district $10 million for questionable spending identified by state auditors.

The district will have to negotiate with state officials this spring, talking down total costs or receiving permission to defer fines to future years. If the district has to pay back $10 million, than a previous plan to have $10.3 million in district savings would fail.

“Our compliance to our recovery plan is going to be critical,” said Aranibar, who traveled this week to Tallahassee with a school district team to meet with the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.

Though state officials were impressed with district action plans, Aranibar said it was made clear that if the district did not take “sincere steps” to balance its budget, than the state would not be inclined to relieve some of the financial burden from the audits.

The district tentatively plans to surplus the Bayshore High School parcel and vote on the Blackrock Development Holdings contract at the February 11 meeting.

<p><em>MANATEE COUNTY</em> - The School Board will temporarily forgo plans to enlist a broker to sell district-owned property that could provide critical revenue for a district saddled with spending fines handed down by state auditors last month.</p><p>And they are poised to move forward in February with property sales that would make up an additional $4 million needed to balance the budget after other costs were realized by school officials in the fall.</p><p>Blackrock Development Holdings has offered the school district $1.85 million for a State Road 70 parcel that is valued at $1.78 million. But the company will pay the district $2.7 million if they also sell part of a Bayshore High School parcel at the corner of 53rd Avenue West and 34th Street West.</p><p>Combined with the $1.4 million Checkers-Owens Annex property sale — land sold next to the district administration building in a deal with Route 32 Investments that closed today — the larger offer would help the district exceed its $4 million shortfall.</p><p>“It comes down to timing, exposure, getting the best price and making sure we meet our commitment to the state in meeting our budget,” Board Chair Julie Aranibar said before the board gave school officials the okay to approve the Bayshore parcel for sale and move forward with the $2.7 million offer at a February meeting.</p><p>The only other pending offer for the State Road 70 parcel is a $1.3 million bid from Del Lago Ventures. But the company only wants to purchase 2.4 acres of 10 acres cleared for sale at the intersection of State Road 70 and Caruso Road.</p><p>Construction Services Director Jane Dreger said the board's decision is a smart one, as the Bayshore High School parcel would likely need to go through lengthy rezoning processes that might turn off other buyers.</p><p>And Blackrock Development Holdings has agreed to close both of their offers within 90 days, which means that the sale could go through by late May, ahead of the end of the fiscal year.</p><p>Deputy Superintendent Don Hall reminded board members that subsidizing $4 million of costs before the end of the year is necessary for the district's financial stability. </p><p>The costs, announced in October after the year's budget had been approved, included a need for more staff, including aides for special needs children that are required by law and more teachers for oversized VPK classes.</p><p>The district had also failed to budget for the salaries of teachers displaced by the closing of Central High School.</p><p>The $4 million shortfall isn't the only expense the district will have to address before July.</p><p>The school system here is being closely monitored by the state as it cleans up systematic financial errors that could potentially cost the district $10 million for questionable spending identified by state auditors.</p><p>The district will have to negotiate with state officials this spring, talking down total costs or receiving permission to defer fines to future years. If the district has to pay back $10 million, than a previous plan to have $10.3 million in district savings would fail.</p><p>“Our compliance to our recovery plan is going to be critical,” said Aranibar, who traveled this week to Tallahassee with a school district team to meet with the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. </p><p>Though state officials were impressed with district action plans, Aranibar said it was made clear that if the district did not take “sincere steps” to balance its budget, than the state would not be inclined to relieve some of the financial burden from the audits.</p><p>The district tentatively plans to surplus the Bayshore High School parcel and vote on the Blackrock Development Holdings contract at the February 11 meeting.</p>